Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step Floors) confirmed he is a real favourite for Sunday's Tour of Flanders with an aggressive and successful ride on the opening stage of Three Days of De Panne.
The 206km stage included 11 Flemish climbs and was like a traditional Tour of Flanders route with the Berendries, Ten Bosse and the iconic De Muur of Geraardsbergen climbed twice in the finale.
Gilbert made sure he was part of the decisive split on the first time up the legendary climb and then attacked alone on the second assault, stomping on the pedals on the rough cobbles that climb to the hilltop chapel.
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Going clear alone seemed a risky move, but Gilbert knew what he was doing. He rode hard all the way to the finish during the final 16km, holding off a strong chase by Luke Durbridge (Orica-Scott). The Australian finished 17 seconds behind Gilbert but was simply unable to catch the Belgian national champion despite his time trialing prowess. However, Durbridge did gain time on everyone else and so set himself up for overall victory in the three-day, four-stage race. He also confirmed his own form for the Tour of Flanders.
Italy's Simone Consonni (UAE Team Emirates) won the three-rider sprint for third place at 34 seconds, beating Jasper de Busyt (Lotto Soudal) and Matthias Brandle (Trek-Segafredo). Alexander Kristoff missed the move on the Muur and his Katusha teammates were unable to help him close the gap. He finished a disappointed seventh, 58 seconds behind Gilbert.
After sprint time bonuses were included in calculations, Gilbert leads Durbridge by 22 seconds in the overall classification. He celebrated with his Quick-Step Floors team and even hugged Durbridge as a sign of respect for their performances.
A day out in the Flemish Hellingen
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